Blizzard of '68
by WolfieOwl
Summary: Year 1868, Easter Sunday. Believe it or not, the blizzard didn't exactly start out as a blizzard. Rather, it started out with happy snowflakes and laughter. My take on what caused the blizzard of '68, a one-shot.


**Hello! This would be my first fic on Rise of the Guardians, so go easy on me, okay? Here it is :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jack or Bunnymund or the happening of the blizzard, simply the reason for it.**

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><p><em><strong>Blizzard of '68<strong>_

Jack knew exactly what day it was when he caused snow to fall. Easter Sunday, 1868. The Easter Bunny was going to be so pissed. Jack didn't _try_ to annoy the oversized rabbit, really, he didn't. But it was only April, not too late for a little snow to fall. Sure, it was already well into Spring, and Bunny hated the cold, and it _was _his big day, only once a year…

Jack reasoned that it was with his best intentions that he caused snowfall that fateful Easter Sunday. It wasn't going to be _heavy_, just a light coating of snow to cover the ground, and just imagine how pretty the eggs would look against freshly fallen snow! Besides, he had never actually seen the Easter Bunny in real life. Maybe this would draw some attention.

Oh, fine. Jack didn't actually care about the eggs, he just _really _wanted it to snow. It was like a terrible craving, and his head was just chanting _'Make it snow, make it snow, make it snow!'_

And so he did, he called forth beautiful flurries of flakes, carried by the wind to fall softly on the ground and coat the rooftops. He decorated the windows with intricate frost patterns. Every snowflake was carefully crafted. They were so delicate.

Jack was careful, of course. He didn't want to ruin Easter, just create a light snowfall in this _one _town, and don't make the roads too slick. He didn't want any accidents to happen. And he made absolutely certain his lake was clearly_ not_ frozen. Who knew what people were thinking? If anyone tried to ice-skate, well, they would most definitely fall in. The ice simply could not be thick enough with a snowfall this small.

Jack hurtled through the air on the wind, laughing and spinning like he was a snowflake himself, and when he finally tired, the wind set him gently down in a pile of snow, where he fell soundly sleep. He was content.

The Easter Bunny, however, was not at all pleased when he popped up from one of his tunnels, only to have a huge pile of snow be dumped on his head. _Cold, cold, cold, brr… _He shook the snow off his fur and proceeded to take in his surroundings. In front of him, the landscape was covered in white, as if it were a drawing that had been given to a child with white paint. And naturally, the child had taken to colouring it.

His ears lowered by a fraction before perking up in alert. His nose twitched in annoyance. What was – why was it snowing? It was Easter! Spring, blooming flowers, green leafy plants, new life! Not snow, not Winter. The entire town of Burgess was covered in a layer of snow. He was going to find the source of it.

Bunnymund didn't have to look far. There, lying in a snow bank, was the winter sprite responsible for all that painful whiteness. Bunny's first thought was that he was way too young. He was clearly asleep, and he looked so childlike. Bunny faltered. Of all things to expect, he had not expected _this. _Cunning and mischievous and a trouble-maker, yes, but most definitely not childlike. He hated to admit it, but the Guardian inside him melted.

Bunny had heard of him before. He was relatively new for a sprite, bringer of ice and snow days. He was Jack Frost.

Bunny nudged the child with his paw, none too gently. His irritation, though muted, was not forgotten. He still had reprimanding to do.

The sprite groaned and swatted the paw away, rolling over in the snow, the same way a person would roll over in bed, unwilling to awaken.

Bunny prodded more insistently. "Wake up, ya gumby," he muttered.

In a flash of movement, the white haired devil was up, somersaulting over Bunny's head to land in a defensive position, his staff gripped tightly.

Bunny spun around to face him. The winter sprite seemed to relax a little at the sight of him, and then his face split into a grin.

"Are you the Easter Bunny?" he asked.

Bunny had been ready to start yelling. You simply didn't make it snow on Easter Sunday. But he was caught off guard with the innocence of that question.

"What? Er, yeah. E. Aster Bunnymund," he answered. Now, why had he just done that?

The frost child leaned on his staff, wonder evident in his face. "Really? Wow, I've never actually seen you before. Heard of you, sure. Everyone knows the Easter Bunny, but – "

"Look, I just came to tell ya you can't make it snow on Easter." Bunny cut off his rambling, because that's what he was doing – rambling.

A look of hurt crossed Jack's face, "Why not?"

"Because it's Easter! And I need to hide my eggs! How am I gonna do my job with all this snow around? Which sensible child is gonna come out to _find _the eggs when it's this cold?"

Jack frowned. "It's not _that _cold."

"Of course to you it isn't! You're like, ice itself. I don't need some winter sprite messing up Easter for me."

Jack looked annoyed. "I'm not a sprite!"

Bunny rolled his eyes, "Sure…" he dragged out the word.

"_Spirit of Winter. _Not a winter sprite!"

Bunny was mildly surprised, though he did not show it. If this child was the Spirit of Winter, that meant he was responsible for a lot more snow and ice than he originally thought.

"Right," he said, "just don't make it snow, okay? Winter is over."

Jack offered him a grin and hovered a few inches off the ground. "Aww, c'mon, Bunny. It's not that bad. The children _like _what I do. And just think how pretty your eggs will look against the snow!"

The Pooka paused, absorbing the vision, then shook his head. "No child wants to dig through all that snow." He _had _to be more forceful. It seemed he wasn't getting his message across. The boy wasn't the least bit remorseful, so he continued, "Besides, Easter is supposed to be new life, and what sort of new life is gonna take place when it's bloody snowing? Snow is death. We're direct opposites, so hold off the snow."

The look of hurt flashed across the winter child's face, gone in a moment. But in that moment Bunny saw a deep sadness, and he looked far older than any child should. Bunny had to remind himself that he was not a child, he was the Spirit of Winter – as the boy had so forcefully corrected – and was probably much older than he looked.

"Death…?" Jack whispered, uncertain.

Bunny realized his slip-up, but he wasn't going to back down then. He wasn't going to take back what he said. "Well, yeah. Winter is stagnant. Nothing grows in the winter, mate."

Jack shook his head, a new sort of determination seeming to take hold. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking for all the world like a petulant child. "You're wrong," he said stubbornly.

"Oh yeah?" Bunny knew he was challenging him, but the kid was getting on his nerves.

"Yeah. Things may not grow, but if it was all…_death_…then why do kids like it so much? Kids _enjoy _what I do. They _like_ the snowballs and the sledding. And I'm not about to let an overgrown bunny tell me otherwise."

It was really just a jab at the Easter Bunny's ego. Jack couldn't help but defend his season. How could he not defend everything that he stood for?

Bunny could feel his annoyance peaking. The little blighter was trying to be snarky on purpose! He was cold and uncomfortable and his feet were freezing, and patience was one thing he did not have at that moment. He had eggs to hide, hope to spread! He did not have time to deal with a stubborn winter spirit.

"Why you little –" Bunny spluttered, "Look here, this is _Spring._ Winter is over. No one needs some _ice elemental _anymore." The Pooka felt a surge of triumph at the look of indignant rage on the other's face. If he'd been pissed when called a winter sprite, being called an ice elemental certainly struck a chord. "All your ice brings is accidents anyway. Children slip and fall. The road gets all slippery and then accidents happen. People fall into lakes and drown. Winter brings death, and it'd be best if you accept it –"

Jack had shot into the air, the wind howling and pulling at his clothes. His eyes were like frosted windows, with a blizzard brewing just out of sight. Cold and unforgiving.

"That's not true!" he yelled, and the wind yelled with him, whipping up the snow from the ground and blowing it around fiercely.

"I suggest you go and hide wherever it is you do when spring comes." Bunny finished smugly, ignoring the chaos and how _cold _it was and how the ice stung when it whipped against his fur. He wasn't about to give Jack that sort of satisfaction.

Instead, he tapped his foot twice against the frozen ground and disappeared into his tunnels. He had work to do!

He wasn't able to do any of it however, because that very afternoon the heavens came down in a cold fury, ice and sleet and snow raining down with a vengeance. The blizzard swept through the country, an enormous unforgiving beast. It put past blizzards to shame, lasting well into the night and all through the next day, and in the middle of it all was a certain Spirit of Winter, whose name no one knew.

The wind deposited him on his lake, chest heaving and hollow even though it felt as if every atom in his body would untwine and he'd fall apart. He almost wished he would, and then he'd be able to sink into his frozen lake and be part of it forever. Because he realized he'd proven Bunny right. Winter was death, and he'd brought death everywhere.

Jack lay on the ice and stayed for a very long while. The world was silent, covered in a blanket of white, though no one realized it was him that did it.

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><p><strong>Well...that was sad. It started out so happy and then...oops? Poor Jack. Please review! :)<br>**

**Love, Wolfie O.**


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